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Ben's back. Kaine died and then came back. Abigail's alive again. Will this heal the rift between him and Kaine for good? Will Ben dye his hair blonde and go talk with Peter? Will we finally see Ben really become a permanent member of the Spider-family?

Ben's back. Kaine died and then came back. Abigail's alive again. Will this heal the rift between him and Kaine for good? Will Ben dye his hair blonde and go talk with Peter? Will we finally see Ben really become a permanent member of the Spider-family?

Ben's soul being damaged by the constant cycle of death and resurrection that Warren put him in makes a lot of sense for his actions in The Clone Conspiracy and his loosened grasp on morality in the first issues of this current Scarlet Spider series, but now that his soul is healing, will that come with a greater sense of moral clarity? Will he realize his actions were wrong and try (harder) to make amends for them? Even if he does, will Kaine and/or Peter be willing to hear him out and at least make a truce with him, if not forgive him?

a lot of fans of the current incarnation of kaine (as opposed to the 90s version). makes me wonder what would have happened if the original plans to bring back ben that eventually became kaine's series had panned out.

would the reception for ben have been more universally aligned if he'd been written in a similar way?

Boots, I'm bringing this What If? to the front of the line.

I know that Spider Island was a big deal when it came out. Do you think Dan would've brought back Ben essentially just the same way he ended up bringing back Kaine? Maybe my perspective is off, but I feel like the Spider Island reveal was more of a secondary plot point, whereas the reveal of Ben as the Jackal in Clone Conspiracy was like THE thing, y'know?

If Ben came back in Spider Island, saved by Peter from existence as a big spider monster, and then basically went, "Well, okay, I'm gonna take off now. Goodbye!" and moved to Houston - would that have been enough for people?

Or would Ben not even have moved? Ben and Peter loved each other, and without Ben's dip into villainy, wouldn't that stay the same?

I'd like to see him bring back Rick Jones. Or failing that, Betty Ross. She and Ben could exchange stories about being brought back from the dead by villains that twisted them into monsters in one way or another, and having to find their way back to the people they used to be, or at least reconciling who they were with what they became. In that light, I'd also like to see Ben tangle with Monet in her current Emplate-possessed state, since that would connect to the idea of heroes being brought back but twisted into monstrous versions of themselves and having to struggle to regain their sense of self. Maybe add in Jamie Madrox for some existential perspective from one clone to another.

I know that Spider Island was a big deal when it came out. Do you think Dan would've brought back Ben essentially just the same way he ended up bringing back Kaine? Maybe my perspective is off, but I feel like the Spider Island reveal was more of a secondary plot point, whereas the reveal of Ben as the Jackal in Clone Conspiracy was like THE thing, y'know?

If Ben came back in Spider Island, saved by Peter from existence as a big spider monster, and then basically went, "Well, okay, I'm gonna take off now. Goodbye!" and moved to Houston - would that have been enough for people?

Or would Ben not even have moved? Ben and Peter loved each other, and without Ben's dip into villainy, wouldn't that stay the same?

Interesting stuff to think about.

You read #7 yet?

-Pav, who is glad so many people are enjoying it...

wellll, i remember that rumour about another writer wanting dibs on ben and i'm really curious to know what would have happened there.

i imagine that the broad strokes for kaine's series would have been ben's. moving makes sense. i also wouldn't be surprised if they made him a darker spider-man to differentiate from peter, though probably more in the tone of kaine than nuts.

i know a lot of peeps enjoyed the brotherly bond between ben and peter, and i did too, but that was only really introduced at the end after it was decided ben was gonna go bye-bye. for the majority of ben's time in the comic, he was a loner and i still see that fitting him perfectly.

and no, haven't read #7 yet! it's hard to get to a bricks and mortar store in these parts...it's a pain and they have a min limit on card purchases. the lack of convenience these days involved in purchasing comics is a big turn off.

I'd like to see him bring back Rick Jones. Or failing that, Betty Ross. She and Ben could exchange stories about being brought back from the dead by villains that twisted them into monsters in one way or another, and having to find their way back to the people they used to be, or at least reconciling who they were with what they became. In that light, I'd also like to see Ben tangle with Monet in her current Emplate-possessed state, since that would connect to the idea of heroes being brought back but twisted into monstrous versions of themselves and having to struggle to regain their sense of self. Maybe add in Jamie Madrox for some existential perspective from one clone to another.

I like what you're thinking in regards to Betty Ross. That makes total sense.

Plus, they're both red. So there's that

Jamie Madrox meeting the Spidey clone brothers is a no-brainer. haha - we must keep the book alive as long as possible if for no other reason than Madrox showing up eventually!

Originally Posted by boots

wellll, i remember that rumour about another writer wanting dibs on ben and i'm really curious to know what would have happened there.

i imagine that the broad strokes for kaine's series would have been ben's. moving makes sense. i also wouldn't be surprised if they made him a darker spider-man to differentiate from peter, though probably more in the tone of kaine than nuts.

i know a lot of peeps enjoyed the brotherly bond between ben and peter, and i did too, but that was only really introduced at the end after it was decided ben was gonna go bye-bye. for the majority of ben's time in the comic, he was a loner and i still see that fitting him perfectly.

and no, haven't read #7 yet! it's hard to get to a bricks and mortar store in these parts...it's a pain and they have a min limit on card purchases. the lack of convenience these days involved in purchasing comics is a big turn off.

Y'know, I never thought about the events in quite that way: Ben and Peter feeling like brothers probably did really get the big push once they decided to kill off Ben. Really pushing the pathos to heighten the eventual tragedy.

Now you've got me thinking: when did the relationship between Ben and Peter flip from one of distrust and confusion to one of familial love? My first thought is to say when the "tests" show that Ben was the "true Peter Parker" and they're together in the cemetary; Ben says that Peter makes a good Peter and he makes a good Ben Reilly. But maybe I'm not fully considering some other key moments.

You ever try going digital? I did a number of years ago, and I really like it.

We've seen already that PAD is willing to utilize characters from some of his other work in the pages of BEN REILLY: THE SCARLET SPIDER.

Would you like to see more of this? And if so, who would you like to see him bring back?

Which of his characters would best fit the current themes and action of the book?

As for me: I'm definitely cool with getting a team-up between Ben, Shatterstar, and a resurrected Genis-Vel.

-Pav, who figures they all have weird enough stories to discuss together...

i'm a bit meat and potatoes when it comes to this kinda stuff.

i'd probably err on the side of keeping ben street level (yep, that old chestnut) and establishing his support cast which may or may not involve peeps from his past.

as things progress, i could see him maybe taking on crazier adventures or gigs. but at this stage i don't see any connection with genis-vel or similar characters (but i'm also out of the loop so might not be seeing the connection there).

it might be interesting to keep ben's current irreverence and see where that could go. he's friendly but not polite. maybe have him encroaching/invading other street level heroes' turf and causing friction that way.

it might be interesting to have him find out about sinister's reilly clones and how he'd react to that. i know it was a throw away joke but something deeper could come of it if handled well.

Y'know, I never thought about the events in quite that way: Ben and Peter feeling like brothers probably did really get the big push once they decided to kill off Ben. Really pushing the pathos to heighten the eventual tragedy.

that was my interpretation at the time. i remember it only really occurring when the writing was on the wall. made everything a bit more bittersweet

Now you've got me thinking: when did the relationship between Ben and Peter flip from one of distrust and confusion to one of familial love? My first thought is to say when the "tests" show that Ben was the "true Peter Parker" and they're together in the cemetary; Ben says that Peter makes a good Peter and he makes a good Ben Reilly. But maybe I'm not fully considering some other key moments.

from memory-
clone saga proper: distrust and envy
clone saga resolution: trust and mutual co-operation
ben reilly as spidey: no real contact for the majority of his run
lead up to goop ben: inseparable twinsies

You ever try going digital? I did a number of years ago, and I really like it.

i've read some on a mates' laptop and it was annoying. but i might give it a go on the ipad. i'm guessing the costs are comparable to hard copies? i'd prefer to support lcs but they don't make it easy....

that was my interpretation at the time. i remember it only really occurring when the writing was on the wall. made everything a bit more bittersweet

from memory-
clone saga proper: distrust and envy
clone saga resolution: trust and mutual co-operation
ben reilly as spidey: no real contact for the majority of his run
lead up to goop ben: inseparable twinsies

i've read some on a mates' laptop and it was annoying. but i might give it a go on the ipad. i'm guessing the costs are comparable to hard copies? i'd prefer to support lcs but they don't make it easy....

Yeah the price for new issues is the same, but when comixology has their sales it is usually cheaper. Also right now Amazon has a BIG sale going on for digital collections that is worth checking out. Since Amazon owns comixology those can also be read in the comixology app on the ipad.